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RIVERSIDE: City manager finds first year a challenge

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Councilman Mike Gardner said heâs pleased with how Barber has reorganized city staff and who heâs picked to head departments.

âI think heâs made us a little more nimble and more efficient,â Gardner said.

âBREATH OF FRESH AIRâ

Gardner also said Barberâs personality is quite different from Hudsonâs, and the change has been positive.

âScott is much more collaborative and interested in obtaining the viewpoints of others â¦ before moving forward with something important,â he said.

Some city employees seem to feel the same. Stan Stosel, who represents city employees who belong to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, has worked with four Riverside city managers and considers Barber âa breath of fresh air.â

âHe seems very accessible and certainly took over at a very difficult time for the city,â Stosel said. âHe does kind of have the common touch.â

David Leonard, who heads historic preservation group the Old Riverside Foundation, said the difference between the past and present city managers is marked.

Leonard said he met with Hudson once in his six-year tenure, but heâs already sat down with Barber four or five times.

The demolition of a historic building during a city project under Hudson angered preservationists. Barber worked out a solution that creates a fund to be used for future preservation work.

âIt brings about a lot more confidence in terms of working with city government, Leonard said.

But others said they expected more.

Barbara Purvis, a retired assistant city attorney, said she still doesnât think city administrators do enough to get community input on city projects. Items that should be discussed publicly are put on the councilâs consent calendar, which affords little opportunity for comment or objection, Purvis said.

âI havenât seen any change. Heâs going along in the Brad Hudson mode,â she said.

Barber seems like a reasonable, nice guy, said Kevin Dawson, a frequent critic of City Hall, but he hasnât always given satisfying answers to the tough questions residents ask.

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